Another Zelda 2 thread
I know that this thread is probably redundant but I think that most recent thread on Zelda 2 was some time ago. But if you feel that a new thread is redundant then I apologize. On to the game itself, I remember not even wanting to play the game as a child because of how offended I was by the radical gameplay changes. Back then I felt that if a formula wasn't broken, then don't fix it. Instead, refine it and make it bigger and better than ever. But now that I have finally gotten around to owning a copy of the, I have been playing nothing else.
The reputation of this game being both a black sheep (of the franchise) and overly difficult so far seems greatly unfounded, and overstated in terms of the latter. Since I don't mind grinding to gain an advantage in these types of games (any game that allows leveling) I find that I can make my way through difficult parts with out too much of a headache with a little practice. I very much love the combat mechanics in the game and they are certainly deeper than in the original in that I feel more engaged with my sword play and my shield use. The enemies which require you to exploit openings are actually very fun when you aren't feeling too nervous. The graphics are very good for their time, with the exception of the blocky overworld, which is forgivable, since it's basically a map to navigate, rather than the main ground of the gameplay.
I was told by some that the Death Mountain portion of the game is way too difficult, and I think I'm there right now (is it the portion with all the interconnecting caves leading eventually to the cave with the hammer?) and if so, I got through and found the hammer without getting a gameover.
In closing, I feel like this will be a top ten favorite for me on the NES, perhaps not as great as the original, but definitely not the misstep that gamers have led some to believe it was.
The reputation of this game being both a black sheep (of the franchise) and overly difficult so far seems greatly unfounded, and overstated in terms of the latter. Since I don't mind grinding to gain an advantage in these types of games (any game that allows leveling) I find that I can make my way through difficult parts with out too much of a headache with a little practice. I very much love the combat mechanics in the game and they are certainly deeper than in the original in that I feel more engaged with my sword play and my shield use. The enemies which require you to exploit openings are actually very fun when you aren't feeling too nervous. The graphics are very good for their time, with the exception of the blocky overworld, which is forgivable, since it's basically a map to navigate, rather than the main ground of the gameplay.
I was told by some that the Death Mountain portion of the game is way too difficult, and I think I'm there right now (is it the portion with all the interconnecting caves leading eventually to the cave with the hammer?) and if so, I got through and found the hammer without getting a gameover.
In closing, I feel like this will be a top ten favorite for me on the NES, perhaps not as great as the original, but definitely not the misstep that gamers have led some to believe it was.
Comments
I haven't played enough Zelda II to have a full opinion yet, but what I did get through I enjoyed more than the original
Before anyone asks, yes he is the offspring of Bimmy and I. We were intoxicated on hot dogs.
I haven't played enough Zelda II to have a full opinion yet, but what I did get through I enjoyed more than the original
Hahaha. I have been using this fake screen name since the early 2000's so naturally your name forces me to do a double take every time. Either that or "hi Dad!"
Before anyone asks, yes he is the offspring of Bimmy and I. We were intoxicated on hot dogs.
I haven't played enough Zelda II to have a full opinion yet, but what I did get through I enjoyed more than the original
I didn't even know what the hell you were talking about and then I saw the name...........hahahahahahahah
Before anyone asks, yes he is the offspring of Bimmy and I. We were intoxicated on hot dogs.
I haven't played enough Zelda II to have a full opinion yet, but what I did get through I enjoyed more than the original
I didn't even know what the hell you were talking about and then I saw the name...........hahahahahahahah
Considering the name is Bim Landers, guess that makes Bimmy the wife?
I cant figure out why Zelda 2 got a bad rap when Zelda 1 had only been out a year in the US. It's not like people had a lot of time to form a good compare/contrast. I think its a great game, worthy of my Hall o Fame.
It didn't have that bad of a rep when it was the only other zelda. It's just as time goes on it's like that.
Same with ET & Pac-man on 2600. While they're not the best on the 2600, a lot of people back then still enjoyed them. A lot of times you here people say "buyers returned these games", but most places didn't let you return these games. I'm pretty sure the buyers who returned the stuff wasn't home users, but store buyers returning unsold inventory. Atari had deals with many retailers to allow them to do it for refunds. And at it's release, there wasn't much else to pick from.
Its one of the few NES games I own that I have a max play time of about 2 minutes. Perhaps ill actually use a walkthru with it one of these days.
Beating this game myself without a walkthrough was one of the most rewarding experiences i've ever had gaming.
Highly reccomend a blind playthrough!
Originally posted by: Gex
Originally posted by: guitarzombie
Its one of the few NES games I own that I have a max play time of about 2 minutes. Perhaps ill actually use a walkthru with it one of these days.
Beating this game myself without a walkthrough was one of the most rewarding experiences i've ever had gaming.
Highly reccomend a blind playthrough!
But I hate RPGS! I got it in a lot and I couldnt just get rid of it.
I cant figure out why Zelda 2 got a bad rap when Zelda 1 had only been out a year in the US. It's not like people had a lot of time to form a good compare/contrast. I think its a great game, worthy of my Hall o Fame.
I think that's mostly revisonist history. I don't recall anyone complaining about Zelda 2 (or Mario 2) when it first came out and in both cases they took quite radical directions compared to their predecesors. And no one seemed to give a second thought with both Mario 1 and Mario 2 enemies/characters/things seamlessly blended together in one Mushroom Kingdom in the Super Mario Bros Super Show (RIP the live action Mario & Luigi from SMBSS )
Remember don't plug any of the crystals or collect any of the 1ups until you're ready to do the Great Palace. Since plugging a crystal gives you automatic bid to the next grade, don't waste them when the requirement to level up is still fairly low experience points. Much better for them to be used when you need 4000, 5000 or so points (if you get what I'm trying to say).
This is crucial advice. I'd never played through any of the game like this before I really sat down with it last summer. Boy, did it make a world of difference in my success rate.
I cant figure out why Zelda 2 got a bad rap when Zelda 1 had only been out a year in the US. It's not like people had a lot of time to form a good compare/contrast. I think its a great game, worthy of my Hall o Fame.
It didn't have that bad of a rep when it was the only other zelda. It's just as time goes on it's like that.
This. There wasn't really any backlash when it was released. From what I understand, it was loved for its challenge and change of style. I don't think it was until the internet started becoming popular in the early 2000's that gaming communities started bangwagon-ing the hate.
I played it for good last Winter and turns out it wasn't that hard. To me the toughest part were the second and third palaces, especially where you fight the blue knight at the end. Actually, the game becomes easier when your levels are up enough that these knights become easy to kill, so I found a few spots where you could get 50 points quickly and upped my levels. I sometimes used maps that I found online, and I used the Everdrive's save state capabilities to restart at a castle if I died quickly, but not to fight bosses, which I'm sure saved me a lot of frustration (and time!).
I'd rate it 8/10; graphics were great, it was original, controls were more than acceptable, the only thing is that the difficulty increases too early in the game and some enemies that were just annoying and no fun at all.
You're nowhere near Death Mountain, and it's just as hard as you've heard. You're still in the easy part I had no trouble with as a kid. [I never beat this game 'til I was an adult.]
It's not as bad as I was anticipating, but there are enough things to irk me when playing. Losing all my exp when you die is one, paired up with only being able to save when you clear a palace or lose all your lives. So basically I need to keep going until I level up or die and lose everything (I'm playing on original hardware, no save states). Having to start at that palace every time you get a game over really sucks. At least in Zelda 1 you start at the entrance for the dungeon you're in. I know later on you get the hammer and can navigate the map easier, but in the meantime... The other thing is the enemies can just feel... cheap sometimes. The boomerang guys are the worst that I've encountered. They're not affected by your sword projectile, and while I can block the boomerang on the way back, I usually get hit point blank when I'm going in for the kill. It's not nearly as bad as some NES games, but it's frustrating enough to just be more of an annoyance than rewarding when you beat them.
So, it's not terrible, but I don't think it's really that great of a game either. If it wasn't a Zelda title it wouldn't receive as much hate as it does, but I also feel people probably wouldn't care much about the game if it wasn't part of the Zelda series. The pros at this point: music is great, being able to use magic is a cool feature, and the controls feel good for the most part.
Losing all my exp when you die is one, paired up with only being able to save when you clear a palace or lose all your lives. So basically I need to keep going until I level up or die and lose everything (I'm playing on original hardware, no save states).
You can pause the game and press up + A on the second controller and save.
Losing all my exp when you die is one, paired up with only being able to save when you clear a palace or lose all your lives. So basically I need to keep going until I level up or die and lose everything (I'm playing on original hardware, no save states).
You can pause the game and press up + A on the second controller and save.
Oh wow, I knew you could do this in Zelda 1 but didn't even think to try in this one because I figured given the life system it wouldn't work. That's gonna make things so much easier haha. Thank you!
As a kid, I tackled the game as an action-platformer without any attempt to understand the bigger picture. Like so many others, I eventually knocked my head into the brick wall that was Death Mountain.
When I returned to the game as an adult (just last year, in fact), I decidedly approached it with a bit more study. Once I understood how the leveling system worked (and how to avoid losing your precious XP) and with a little bit of early-game grinding, the game became instantly more playable and a great deal of fun. With a little help from Nintendo Power, I was even able to finally finish the game! What a feeling that was!
Today, I'm not sure if I can say that I think it's better than the original. I still think I prefer the item system and overworld of Zelda 1. That said, the combat mechanisms in Zelda 2 are more detailed and engaging, the graphics are quite good and the magic spells are fun to use.
So yeah, great game and certainly worth playing...if you go in with a little patience.
I've been fooling with this one again as of late. It's much more enjoyable when you know what you're supposed to do.
Totally, I was going to say something similar. I remember renting this game and playing it when I was younger. I enjoyed it, but found it extremely frustrating because I had no idea what to do ("I found a mirror under the table" lolwtf). Without the internet and a Nintendo Power subscription, I was screwed. And, unlike the first Zelda, there weren't others who knew how to beat it and spread the word, which is basically the only way anyone ever beat the first Zelda for the first time.
All that notwithstanding, it's a really fun game when you can get past the quirks or look up something up on line when need be. The sidescrolling gameplay is crisp and the castles are challenging, yet fair. Music is solid, as well. The casle music is addictive, not sure I will ever forget it.
Doo doo dooo doo da doooo doooo dooo doooooo, da da da dooo dooo, da dooo doo, da dooo da dooo dooo...
I've been fooling with this one again as of late. It's much more enjoyable when you know what you're supposed to do.
Totally, I was going to say something similar. I remember renting this game and playing it when I was younger. I enjoyed it, but found it extremely frustrating because I had no idea what to do ("I found a mirror under the table" lolwtf). Without the internet and a Nintendo Power subscription, I was screwed. And, unlike the first Zelda, there weren't others who knew how to beat it and spread the word, which is basically the only way anyone ever beat the first Zelda for the first time.
All that notwithstanding, it's a really fun game when you can get past the quirks or look up something up on line when need be. The sidescrolling gameplay is crisp and the castles are challenging, yet fair. Music is solid, as well. The casle music is addictive, not sure I will ever forget it.
Doo doo dooo doo da doooo doooo dooo doooooo, da da da dooo dooo, da dooo doo, da dooo da dooo dooo...
Yeah, I know a lot of people thrive on the exploration factor of older games like this, but that shit does nothing for me when you're expected to figure out insanely-cryptic shit under the guise of "challenge". Talking to everyone in a town is one thing, but having to search around for some stuff without guidance can get a bit asinine. I'm glad I completed it once so I can enjoy it during future passes